Bras are a common article of clothing worn by women to support and shape their breasts. Of course, the predominant element of bras are the breast cups. The other elements of the bra are essentially present to locate and support the breast cups. These elements may include a chest band to which the breast cups are attached, and shoulder straps stretching from the breast cups, over the shoulders to the back of the chest band. Alternatively, a bra may be structured to where the breast cups, again the predominant feature, are integral to the support structure of the bra where a back band is attached to each breast cup and proceeds to the back while a center panel joins the breast cups at the center, and the previously mentioned shoulder straps pass from the breast cups over the shoulders to the back bands in the back. In this case the breast cups are themselves part of the chest band. Whether a bra has a single chest band or separate bands running from the breast cups to the back, the bra frequently has a clasp in it for greater ease in dressing. The clasp may be in the back or in the front between the cups. Adjusting buckles associated with the band and the two straps provide adjustments for different body sizes as wells as some adjustment for breast size. While bras themselves are an article of clothing, other types of women's clothing may perform the function of bras and therefore have some, or all, of the elements of the structure of bras, which is to say they will have breast cups and supporting and positioning elements for the breast cups incorporated into the garment. So, while the preferred embodiments discussed later may reference bras, the lift system of the present invention can be applied to any women's garment with breast cups, and any women's garment having breast cups could incorporate the system.
As a matter of cosmetic enhancement, it is sometimes desired to lift the breasts up and push them forward from the body, or toward each other to emphasize cleavage. As a matter of comfort, it is preferred that this be accomplished without excessively squeezing, or otherwise unnaturally constricting the breasts. Various methods are used to accomplish this lift and push-out. Among them are wire frames around the cups, padding in the cups, and additional straps to lift the cups with some variations pulling the cups towards each other.
The history of the brassiere, most commonly know as the bra, reveals that its form and purpose have been shaped by the current fashion trend. Along with the many changes to this female undergarment comes a debate over who should be credited with the creation of the modern bra. Few disagree that the bra dates as far back as 2,500 BC, when Minoan women on the Greek island of Crete wore a garment similar to a bra, which lifted their busts out of their clothes, leaving them exposed. The custom of ancient Greek and Roman women, to minimize bust size, completely reversed the Minoan trend. To minimize their chest size, these women strapped bands over their busts to rein them in.
The debate over the true inventor of the modern bra has not been entirely resolved. A gentleman named Hoag Levins spent a great deal of time in the U.S. Patent Office doing research for a book and concluded that Marie Tucek obtained a patent for the first brassiere in 1893. She named her invention the “breast supporter,” because it had separate pockets for each, straps that went over the shoulders, and hook-and-eye fasteners in the back. Unfortunately, Marie never marketed her invention, which very much resembled the modern bra.
In 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob, a.k.a. Caresse Crosby, a New York socialite who is credited with inventing the first modern bra, invented it out of necessity. The undergarment at that time consisted of a corset stiffened by whaleback bones, that would simply ruin the appearance of Mary's new gown. She enlisted the help of her French maid, Marie, and together they fashioned a backless brassiere from two handkerchiefs, ribbon and cord.
The bra, not Mary, was the belle of the ball, and Mary began sewing bras for her friends and family. When she received a request for a bra from a stranger, who enclosed money for the undergarment, dollar signs flashed in her eyes. Mary grabbed her sketches and headed straight for the U.S. Patent Office. The Office granted the patent for the “Backless Brassiere” to Mary in November 1914. After making several hundred bras, and selling few, Mary closed the doors to her young business. She sold her rights to the brassiere to the Connecticut based Warner Brothers Corset Company for $1,500.
Since Mary's basic bra arrived on the scene, people have adjusted its design many times. Ida Rosenthal, an immigrant from Russia, together with her husband, William, founded a company called Maidenform. She felt strongly that all women did not fit into the same bust size category and painstakingly grouped women into different categories (cup sizes) and engineered bras to fit females throughout all phases of life (from puberty to maturity).
Fashion trends have changed but the prevalent goal of the bra over the years is to construct an article that will lift and shape the breasts and hold them somewhat securely. Generally speaking, it is desired to raise the lift of the breasts to create an appearance of larger, firmer and fuller breasts. In addition, for fashion purposes, it is often desired to enhance “cleavage” by pushing the breasts closer to each other. However, even though bras have been available for many years and featured a variety of forms, modern bras remain inadequate in achieving fashion and appearance goals while still being comfortable. This is because most conventional bras lift and shape the breasts, but do so in a way that actually compresses them against the woman's chest. Accordingly, although they may be higher and better shaped, comfort is compromised. In addition, while lift and cleavage may be enhanced in a conventional bra, the breasts may actually be reduced in size or projection from a profile perspective due to the compression of the bra. What is needed is a bra apparatus which provides an improvement for the breasts in all three desired fields of movement; namely lifting the breasts, orienting them closer together for cleavage enhancement and projecting them forward away from the chest.
In addition to projection, most conventional bras are inadequate because they feature two cups that cannot be independently adjusted to an adequate degree. For most women, the two breasts are not identical in size and for some the difference is more pronounced due to nature or due to injury. Accordingly, it may be desired to lift and shape one breast more than the other. In a conventional bra, the only means of providing such adjustment is to adjust the shoulder strap which has the affect of loosening or tightening the apparatus. What is needed is a means of adjusting the lift of one or both breasts independently, without the need for adjusting the shoulder straps.